By TCN News,
Patna: Samaaj Bachaao Aandolan, a city based social service group, has alleged direct involvement of Bajrang Dal and the BJP in the recent communal riots at Azizpur in Muzaffarpur district.
“Bajrang Dal leader Ram Pravesh Sahni and BJP MLA Ashok Singh are the main players behind Muzaffarpur riots,” alleged chief convenor Md Kashif Yunus of Samaaj Bachaao Aandolan, who had led a delegation to Azizpur on Wednesday, January 21.
The Samaaj Bachaao Aandolan delegation visited Azizupur village, stayed there for the whole day and interacted with a large number of people including some eye witnesses. “What locals are revealing is shocking because the real story of the conspiracy is not coming out in the media,” Yunus said in a release here.
At least six persons were dead and scores of others injured in a communal riot that broke out at Azizpur earlier this week. The incident also saw houses of scores of people from the minority community burnt down rendering them homeless in harsh winter.
“According to locals, Bajrang Dal leader and mukhiya of Chakma, who is the right hand of local BJP MLA Ashok Singh, called a meeting in his house on January 17 in which more than 100 people participated. The very next day, body of the young boy was recovered just metres away from the house of Wasi Ahmed in Azizpur village,” Yunus said, adding, “The question arises: from where did thousands of people, mostly belonging to a specific caste, gather in Azizpur within 30-40 minutes of recovery of the boy’s body? Bahilwara Roopnath, the village to which the boy belonged to, is just two kms away from the Azizpur village from where people of a specific caste came to attack the minority population of Azizpur.”
Yunus further claimed – according to eye witnesses – that “mukhiya of Bahildawara and ex-mukhiya were leading the attacking mob. Police arrested one of them, but he managed to escape from custody on January 20. This exposes the lethargic style of functioning of local police.”
He also claimed that Chief Minister Jeetan Manjhi is “regularly trying to justify the act of SSP and the DM. Also, the police came after five hours of rioting in Azizpur although Saraya police station is just five kms away.”
A junior level inspector rank officer has been made Investigating Officer of the case, the release claimed and added, “This very clearly shows that government wants to underplay the whole episode. There is no special protection to the eye witnesses due to which many of the eye witnesses – who are speaking to social activists and media – are silent in front of police.”
One of the eyewitnesses, while interacting with Samaaj Bachao Aandolan, told Yunus that as the duo accused of inflaming riots has criminal back ground, “nobody opens mouth against them. Family members of Akhter Ali, who got killed in rioting, are also very much afraid.”
Eye witnesses also named several people from the area as involved in “looting and killing by burning them alive. As many of these people are still not arrested, so eye witnesses believe that it is not safe to open mouth against them,” the release claimed.
Chief Minister Manjhi is assuring the people of Mallah community again and again that no innocent from the community will be arrested. “His concern is vote bank. Lalu (Prasad Yadav, former chief minister) is also giving much emphasis on the theory of outsiders’ involvement in attack. What about the attackers of neghbouring Bahidawara village to whom people identified very well, when they will get arrested?” the release questioned.